The article focuses on the character of the chief nuclear engineer Jack Godell of the fictional nuclear power plant Ventana in the Columbia film The China Syndrome by James Bridges and in the accompanying book of the same title by Burton Wohl, both first published in 1979. On the basis of three film sequences, the framework of responsibility in which the engineer acts is analyzed and described in a differentiated way. Looking at the conflict between the responsibility of loyalty to the company operating the power plant and the engineer’s universal moral responsibility, it becomes clear that he increasingly lets the former step back in order to allow his actions to be guided by the superior responsibility for the health of the people. Three disturbing factors are identified that make efforts to ensure safety in this nuclear power plant more difficult. These are a combination of faulty modules and human error, financial restrictions imposed by the company management and botched safety inspections during the construction phase of the power plant.